Putin hosts Russia-Africa Summit

SOCHI, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosts dozens of African leaders for the first Russia-Africa Summit, as Moscow seeks greater influence on a continent where the West and China have a firm foothold.

The two-day event at the Black Sea resort of Sochi will see more than 3,000 delegates prepare deals and discuss topics from nuclear technology to mineral extraction.

Putin will open the summit at 0800 GMT alongside Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the current head of the African Union and guest of honor at the event.

All 54 African states would be sending a representative, Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov said. Of those, 43 will be heads of state or government.

The leaders of former Soviet client states such as Angola and Ethiopia will be at the summit as well as representatives of countries where Moscow’s engagement has been traditionally low, like Nigeria and Ghana.

Ivory Coast, which has had little interaction with Russia, was set to send a delegation of 70 people including its president with a view to signing a possible military cooperation agreement.